Game of Love
by MournfulSeverity
Summary: Faced with the decision of three wonderful men, Rebecca can choose only one. Nathaniel knows she's the one he's meant to be with. All he can do is hope she feels the same way. One shot. Nathaniel x Rebecca


**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Rachel Bloom, the CW, and any other involved party.**

**Spoilers for Season 4 Episode 16 which aired yesterday (3/29/19).**

**I've been wanted to write a CxG fic for quite a while and here's a one shot for me to break into the fandom.**

**Xxxx**

As Rebecca turned against the soft beats of the music drifting from the valley below, he tightened his grip on her hand, pulling her towards him. Their bodies were pressed together suddenly, their arms wrapped around each other. The playfulness of the moment was gone and Rebecca's smile dimmed into a more serious expression.

A light breeze brushed against them and Nathaniel returned a stray curl of chestnut hair, streaked with gold behind her ear. He felt the palm of her hand move against his neck as the two of them swayed gently to the music of before. He knew he had to say something. This was his last chance. But, what could he say that he hadn't before? He had laid it all out on the line time and time again, professing his love for her.

_Let me be happy. _

He wouldn't forget those words. That had only been weeks ago, but it felt like so much longer. It was her insistence that she didn't feel the same way, that she had chosen someone else, yet here she was. She agreed to these dates. Had agreed that maybe Greg wasn't the one for her. But, that didn't mean _he _was. If he wanted any chance at spending the rest of his life with Rebecca, he _had _to do it again.

"I don't want to give you a whole big pitch, I've done that so many times before." He began, his words mirroring his thoughts as he swallowed his rarely felt hesitation. He wasn't sure he could be rejected again. "But, I think we're meant to be together and if you pick me, it'll be because you feel the same way."

Her head tilted slightly and her eyes filled with something he hoped wasn't pity. She was silent, painfully silent, and then her hand was moving against him, going beneath his own brown hair and she leaned in toward him, her mouth parting and meeting his. It had been so long since they had done this last. His body ached with the pain of missing her.

Their picnic having remained untouched, she tasted of nothing but toothpaste. She smelled of a light, floral scent that he couldn't place, and felt even better than he remembered. She pulled away, ending the kiss far too soon and leaving him wanting more. He always would.

Still, she was silent. He didn't expect her to agree then and there that they were meant to be, to profess her love for him and only him. He wasn't a fool. She was confused, and perhaps this was harder for her than most, he wasn't sure, but he wished she'd say _something. _

"I can't." She started, as if she'd read his mind. "I have another date."

Greg.

He opened his mouth again to say that he understood, to say something so that he didn't leave her in a similar silence when he was cut off. "But, I-" She shook her head, deciding against it. Her eyes fell from his, almost as if she was ashamed. This wasn't how their date was supposed to go.

Tangling his hands into her descending curls, he kissed her again, a distraction if nothing else, maybe a reminder of what they could be.

Xxxx

The bell reverberating through his apartment intensified his nerves. He'd heard nothing of her other date. It seemed even Paula was unaware of how things had gone, or at least she refused to tell him. When he'd agreed to this idiotic idea in the first place he'd thought he was the clear winner.

Josh had hurt her time and time again. He had _left her at the alter. _If Rebecca picked him…Nathaniel shook his head at the very thought. Josh may have changed, but not enough. That marriage would never last.

Greg had hurt her too. In reality, they had hurt each other. Greg had always been her second choice, perhaps until very recently, but that hadn't lasted either. He may be a new person, but had things between them changed enough?

To be fair, Nathaniel had caused pain of his own, not only to Rebecca. He'd had something real with Mona, he thought at one point that he loved her, but apparently not enough, not enough to stay faithful. It sickened him, the person he had been before, and he regretted every part of it, but was that enough for Rebecca to chose him? To love him?

He approached the door behind which he knew she was still waiting. As it was pulled open, she gave him a careful, half smile, as if he were the one about to make or break them. Gone was the cocky grin that she had brought him before, begging for him to take her. It was a time he hoped they returned to.

"Can I come in?" Rebecca asked finally, causing him to realize he'd been blocking her entry and had stared instead.

He stepped back quickly, his feet shuffling on the slick floor. "I didn't expect you so soon."

"I thought about what you said." She replied, stepping into his home.

His heart seized. Was it the way she said those words? Almost as if she was afraid, or was it that she could be here to tell him no? Had she done this with Josh? With Greg? He was silent, waiting for her to continue.

"I love all three of you, but there's been a clear winner I think since the very beginning. I think I always knew that it was you. Maybe I thought I could fool myself into being happy with the others, too afraid to make that final choice, and maybe I could, but neither of them make me as happy as you do. I love you, Nathaniel."

_I love you, Nathaniel. I love you, Nathaniel._ He repeated the words in his mind, gaping at her momentarily. He took a step forward, closing the distance between them as he was drawn in by her. Those river blue eyes, that soft, peach skin, it was his. Maybe not forever, but for now. He kissed her deeply, breathing her in and pulling her closer to him. His mouth drifted from her lips, across her cheek and down the nape of her neck. She gave a shiver beneath him.

The hunt was over, the game of love had chosen it's new contestants, and he was ready for this chapter of their lives to begin.


End file.
